Sorcerer’s Handbook

Death row inmates roared in unison: “What did you say?!”

Ashe, hands on hips and speaking with righteous indignation, said, “Make no mistake, I’m actually a good person. I’d rather feed you lot of mongrels to the fish than let you wreak havoc on society. Just stay here and undergo thought reform, striving to meet your end sooner rather than later. Good riddance to you all!”

“You’re a cult leader yourself!”

“I am not, I haven’t, I’m innocent.”

“Who would believe that?!”

“You actually doubt such an honest good person as myself? I’ll remember you, hmph, and come the Blood Moon Tribunal, I’ll cast a vote against you.”

“Wait a minute, demon.” A death row inmate, with delicate features and a tall figure, blocked his path: “Although I don’t know your escape plan, I can serve as a decoy to divert the attention of the Sin Hunter’s Hall, increasing your chances of a successful escape. It doesn’t matter if you don’t trust me, but compared to you, they will definitely place more importance on ‘Skylark’ Zuer. I can certainly reduce the pressure on you.”

“Ah, Zuer, I remember you,” Ashe said with a smile. “When Igor was looking for teammates, the first person he recommended was you. He believed you were strong, exceedingly clever, adept at healing and escape, and knew every dark haunt in Kaimon City. You would have been the perfect ally.”

Zuer smiled, “I’m flattered by the Beautiful Beast’s high regard…”

“—Which is why he insisted that I leave you here to die,” Ashe snorted. “When we came to recruit you, you refused and ignored us. Now that the plan is a success, you find yourself out of reach!”

“Igor is much pettier than I am. Offending him, I suspect before he left, he’d use the Catalog of Sinners to have you lick the urinals clean. Hey, anyone here diabetic? Maybe you could help adjust the flavor for him?”

Pushing past the sullen-faced Zuer, Ashe had barely taken two steps before being blocked by the prison guards.

“Ashe Heath,” Nago said coldly, “I know there’s no reasoning with a stubborn and incorrigible libertarian criminal like you, so I have no interest in reasoning with you. I just hope you either kill me or remove my Restriction! I can’t bear this humiliation!”

Ashe blinked, “This humiliation? Isn’t this just the daily routine for death row inmates? Everyone goes through this—”

“But we are not death row inmates! We shouldn’t have to bear these shackles!” Nago scanned the death row inmates, “And you—”

“They deserve it, I know,” Ashe said nonchalantly. “Just consider it a rare occupational experience, beneficial for your future work. After all, how can a prison guard who’s never been a prisoner become a Warden later?”

“Besides, these so-called shackles are just prohibiting you from attacking, insulting, and relieving yourself wherever you want, right? Aren’t these the rules you ought to follow? Why resist them so much?”

“As for being unable to urinate when watched, that’s because you’re too delicate, which is really not my problem…”

Nago found himself at a loss for words, and Ashe leaned in to whisper in his ear:

“Don’t neglect to do the small good deeds just because they seem insignificant, and don’t commit the small evils just because they seem trivial… I’m not asking you to empathize with these scum, I just hope you don’t become scum yourselves.”

“Of course, you could also assume I’m retaliating against you prison guards.” He patted Nago’s shoulder, “Next time you bring death row inmates to the Blood Moon Tribunal, be a bit gentler. Just send them to their fate as part of the routine, don’t treat prisoners like toys.”

“When you stop treating people like humans, you’re not far from becoming like them.”

With that, Ashe pushed the door open and left. Nago stood rooted to the spot, a tumult of emotions churning inside him—

Snap!

Ashe suddenly rushed back, turned on the faucet to wash his hands, “Almost forgot.” Then swiftly departed.

Nago looked at his shoulder, which Ashe had patted, and felt increasingly conflicted.

In the Central Hall, the five villains gathered.

Necromancer Harvey said, “Now, except for us five, everyone else in the prison has their movement restricted, with Restrictions added similar to those of death row inmates. No one will interfere with our plan.”

Con Artist Igor remarked, “I’ve learned from the Hunter that the Transport Ship must return to Kaimon Lake Harbor by 7 PM at the latest, otherwise the harbor will make inquiries—because the harbor staff need to clock out precisely at 7:30 PM.”

Gourmet Langna announced, “The Transport Ship has been cleared.”

Golden Beak Ronald gave a thumbs up, flashing a toothy, gleaming smile, “I’ve mastered how to control the Transport Ship! The five of us meet the minimum crew requirement to operate it!”

“That means we can leave at any time now.” Ashe surveyed the group. “The only issue is if you, Harvey, want to kill Fernand Snow, you’ll have to delay his time of death until after 6 PM. Whether it’s poison or bleeding out, we need enough time to make our escape.”

“Or… we could execute that insane, spur-of-the-moment plan.”

Harvey ripped open a sky-blue square packet with his teeth and unrolled a milky-white candy with his tongue, popping it into his mouth. Ashe took a closer look—it was Moon Sugar from the Snow White Brand, which had been advertised on Kaimon’s First Channel. Moon Sugar was claimed to be whiter than snow and sweeter than a princess, and the most provocative part of the ad was the model playing the princess, who, after eating a piece, was so thrilled she performed a split on the spot.

Ashe found it hard not to be curious—after all, he couldn’t do a split.

But who knew Harvey had such a hobby?

Harvey carefully crushed the candy with his tongue, and a hint of vitality slowly emerged in his otherwise lifeless eyes, “I choose the spur-of-the-moment plan.”

“Me too.” The second to agree was unexpectedly Igor, his eyes gleaming with fervor like that of a sleazy man spotting a beauty, “I can’t miss such a grand performance opportunity.”

“I disagree.” Langna, filing his nails with a nail file, spoke indifferently, “Leaving quietly is the safest option.”

“I’m with Langna on this one.” Ronald said with a smile, “Whether for emotional or practical reasons, the temporary plan is too risky.”

With the vote at 2 to 2, the deciding vote lay in Ashe’s hands.

“Of course, I naturally prefer the original plan with its higher safety quotient.” As Ashe spoke, Harvey and Igor’s expressions soured, while Langna and Ronald smiled.

“But…”

Ashe spread his hands, “It’s my first time being arrested, my first time being a death row inmate, my first time in prison, my first time participating in the Blood Moon Tribunal… and now, it’s also my first escape from prison.”

“With so many firsts already, what’s one more?”

“Let’s use our very first Blood Moon Tribunal to say hello to this sick Kingdom.”

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